U.S. patent application number 12/311763 was filed with the patent office on 2010-06-03 for timepiece (clockwork part).
Invention is credited to Joseph Penula.
Application Number | 20100135128 12/311763 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39278343 |
Filed Date | 2010-06-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100135128 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Penula; Joseph |
June 3, 2010 |
Timepiece (Clockwork Part)
Abstract
The band attachment device (1) and the closed case (17) together
form the housing of the wristwatch. The device (1) is a perforated
construction, the central part (2) of which contains the closed
case (17) and the side parts (3 and 4) of which provide the
connection to each half of the band. The device (1) is made
entirely of elongate elements of metal or plastic sections joined
by welding or adhesive bonding and arranged in such a way as to
form a rigid, lightweight lattice.
Inventors: |
Penula; Joseph; (Chicago,
IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Clifford W Browning;Krieg DeVault
One Indiana Square, Suite 2800
Indianapolis
IN
46204
US
|
Family ID: |
39278343 |
Appl. No.: |
12/311763 |
Filed: |
October 12, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
October 12, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2007/054161 |
371 Date: |
November 20, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
368/281 ;
368/276 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G04B 37/005 20130101;
G04B 45/0069 20130101; G04B 37/0008 20130101; G04B 37/22
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
368/281 ;
368/276 |
International
Class: |
G04B 37/00 20060101
G04B037/00; G04B 37/18 20060101 G04B037/18 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 13, 2006 |
CH |
01634/06 |
Claims
1. A clockwork part including a closed case containing a movement
and a support device which said case is attached to, wherein said
support device is a rigid openwork structure having a shape of a
lattice or a spiral which surrounds the sides of the case.
2. A clockwork part according to claim 1, wherein said support
device includes a central part including two frames connected by
bar segments positioned as distance pieces between the frames and
in that the case is engaged in the frames and attached to at least
one of these.
3. A clockwork part according to claim 1, wherein the components of
said openwork structure are attached to each other by their ends,
by gluing or mechanical welding.
4. A clockwork part according to claim 2, wherein said bar segments
are rectilinear.
5. A clockwork part according to claim 2, wherein at least a part
of said bar segments is curved.
6. A clockwork part according to claim 1, wherein said part is a
wrist watch and in that said openwork structure is a device for
attaching a wrist strap and includes, in addition to a central part
which surrounds and attaches the case, two opposite side parts
provided with connection means to the strap.
7. A clockwork part according to claim 6, wherein the openwork
structure is a lattice structure.
8. A clockwork part according to claim 6, wherein at least one
movement function manual control member is removably mounted on one
side of the case and in that said openwork structure provides, in
said annular central part, at least one opening enabling the
positioning of said control member or members.
9. A clockwork part according to claim 6, wherein each of said side
parts includes, in the structure thereof, two receptacles with
coaxial holes for the ends of a pushpin.
10. A clockwork part according to claim 6, wherein the side parts
of the openwork structure are formed with bar segments similar to
those of the central part.
11. A clockwork part according to claim 1, wherein said openwork
structure has the shape of a coil spring.
12. A clockwork part according to claim 1, wherein the openwork
structure is formed with hollow tubes.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to clockwork parts and more
particularly wrist watches in which the movement is positioned in a
closed case and such case is attached to a support device and more
particularly a wrist watch strap attachment device in the case of
wrist watches, such device being distinct from the case but
surrounding it.
[0002] In most currently known wrist watches, a unique member,
called the case, can be found, which combines two functions
consisting in keeping the movement confined in a generally tight
closed space and connecting it to the strap, so that the watch can
easily be worn on the wrist. However, many watches are also known
wherein the two functions are separated so as to meet various needs
such as the simplification of the manufacturing of the case,
variation in the appearance of the attachment device, improvement
of tightness properties etc. The application for German patent DE
10305305 A1 discloses a wrist watch of this type, but the latter
only partially meets the mentioned needs.
[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a
clockwork part and more particularly a wrist watch of the
above-mentioned type which better meets such needs than the already
known clockwork part.
[0004] For this purpose, the present invention relates to a
clockwork part including a closed case containing a movement and a
support device which said case is attached to, characterised in
that said support device is a rigid openwork structure having the
shape of a lattice or a spiral which surrounds the sides of the
case.
[0005] The support device may include a central part including two
frames connected through bar segments positioned as distance pieces
between the frames and the case can be engaged in the frames and
attached to at least one of these.
[0006] The components of the openwork structure can be attached to
each other by their ends, by gluing or mechanical welding.
[0007] The bar segments may be rectilinear or at least a part of
said part segments may be curved.
[0008] According to one embodiment, the clockwork part is a wrist
watch and the openwork structure is the device for the attachment
of the strap and includes, further to the central part which
surrounds it and attaches the case, two opposite side parts
provided with means for connection to the strap, with the openwork
structure being possibly a lattice structure.
[0009] At least one movement function manual control member can be
removably mounted on one side of the case and the openwork
structure can provide, in said annular central part, at least one
opening enabling the positioning of said control member or members,
with each of said side parts including, in the structure thereof,
two receptacles with coaxial holes for the ends of a pushpin.
[0010] The side parts of the openwork structure can be composed of
bar segments similar to those of the central part.
[0011] According to one embodiment, the openwork structure has the
shape of a coil spring.
[0012] The openwork structure can be composed of hollow tubes.
[0013] Hereinunder are disclosed, as examples, various embodiments
of wrist watches according to the invention and a few alternative
solutions, while referring to the appended drawings among
which:
[0014] FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of the device for the
connection to the strap respectively in the first and the second
exemplary embodiments,
[0015] FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are views, also in perspective, of the
first embodiment of the watch without any strap.
[0016] FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of an alternative
solution to the first embodiment with the strap,
[0017] FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are perspective views of the second
embodiment of the watch with its strap,
[0018] FIGS. 11 and 12 are perspective views of another square
embodiment of the attachment device,
[0019] FIGS. 13 and 14 are perspective views of an oval embodiment
of the attachment device, and
[0020] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a watch including an
attachment device according to another embodiment.
[0021] A noticeable particularity of the watch, of which several
embodiments are shown in the drawing, is the structure of the
attachment device for connection to the strap. FIGS. 1 and 2 show
this structure in one application thereof to a round watch and to a
rectangular watch, respectively. In both cases, the attachment
device is totally composed of extended elements having a section
and a profile which do not vary on their whole length, which allows
a simple and rational pre-manufacturing. Such profile elements can
be made of a plastic material or a metal, more particularly of
gold, and include precious or semi-precious stones, or be based on
a combination of said materials and elements. They may be covered
with precious or semi-precious stones, for example diamonds. They
can have circular, semi-circular or polygonal sections depending on
the case. They may be composed of solid or hollow tubes. In the
case of hollow tubes, these may contain a liquid, for example a
liquid containing suspended particles, more particularly
fluorescent particles, or any other composition intended to create
an entertaining, decorative and/or an aesthetic effect.
[0022] In FIG. 1, the attachment structure 1 includes a circular
central part 2 and two diametrally opposed side parts 3 and 4. The
central part 2 is composed of two extended elements 5 which are
curved in circles having the same diameter with semi-circle
profiles connected through rectilinear and vertical bar segments 6,
with some of such bars, such as the elements 7, being positioned
obliquely so as to make the structure rigid. The side parts 3 and 4
are made of bar segments 8. These have various lengths and they are
assembled so as to form kinds of frames with a slightly trapezoidal
plane shape, connected to the circular frames 5. These are closed
and the elements 6, 7 and 8 are connected thereto by their ends,
which gives the connection device assembly a structure of a
particularly rigid lattice even though the elements are very
tapered in the length/section ratio. The elements composing the
described structure are rigidly attached to each other by their
ends, either by gluing or by welding, for example mechanical
welding. According to an advantageous embodiment, the attachment
structure 1 can be made by molding. It should be noted that in each
side parts 3 and 4, two elements 8 positioned vertically on the
outer side have bumps 9 facing each other and provided with an
internal hole. Such coaxial holes are intended to receive the ends
of a pushpin used for the connection to a strap.
[0023] In FIG. 2, an attachment device 10 corresponding to the
second embodiment is provided for receiving a rectangular case. The
structure thereof is similar to that of device 1, i.e. including,
on the one hand, two rectangular frames 11 connected by bar rods 12
which are vertical or positioned as oblique distance pieces, as the
elements 13, so as to form a central part 14 able to receive a
closed case and, on the other hand, two side parts 15 in the shape
of openwork frames provided with receptacles 16 with coaxial holes
for the engagement of the ends of the pushpins. The frame elements
11, as well as the bars 12 and 13 of the central part 14 and of the
side parts 15 are all rectilinear. Their profile has the shape of a
semi-circle, except for some elements of the side parts which are
circular. Such profiles could also have an oval or a polygonal
shape.
[0024] The attachment device 1 in FIG. 1 is shown again in FIGS. 3,
4 and 5, but this time it is provided with a closed case 17
adjusted to the dimensions of the central part 2. The case 17 also
includes a cylindrical side wall 18 which serves as the middle of
the conventional cases, to which is fixed a crystal 19 which covers
a dial 20 mounted on the movement accommodated in the case. In the
case of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, this is a chronograph movement the
functions of which need not be described in detail. It should
however be noted that the usual control members i.e. the time
setting crown 21 and the push buttons and resetting buttons 22, 23
are made so that they can be mounted on the middle 18 after the
engagement of the case 17 inside the part 2, between the frames 5.
For this purpose, the vertical mounts 6 positioned on the right
part, i.e. at three in the connection device, are sufficiently
spaced apart to enable this operation. As can be seen in FIG. 5, on
the left side i.e. at nine, the distance pieces of the attachment
structure include oblique or even (FIG. 1) X shaped elements 7. The
case 17 will be fixed in the central part 2 of the attachment
device by any appropriate means in a permanent way or so that it
can be removed. It will include a removable screwed or notched back
giving access to the movement. All the usual techniques for
manufacturing the movement, the indicating members and the case can
be used without any problem here.
[0025] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an alternative solution of the
exemplary embodiment of the wrist watch of the first embodiment
with its strap. In this alternative solution, the case of the watch
is made of sapphire thus transparent. FIGS. 6 and 7 also show both
ends 24 of the strap connected by usual pushpins to the side parts
3 and 4 in the holes 9.
[0026] FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are views of the wrist watch according to
the second embodiment with the attachment device 10 of FIG. 2, a
closed case 25 having a rectangular shape being engaged in the
central part 14 and both ends of the strap 26 being connected to
the side parts 15. The movement accommodated in the case 25 is here
a usual watch movement with only one control member, i.e. a time
setting crown 27 which is also used as a winder in the case of a
mechanical movement. Such crown will be positioned between two
vertical bars 12 after the case is engaged in the attachment
device.
[0027] FIGS. 11 and 12 are perspective views of another embodiment
of the attachment device for a squared shape case. On these views,
the case 30 is shown without any movement, any back, nor any dial.
In this embodiment, the connection structure shows a triangular
section forming pyramidal elements at each corner of the watch. In
addition, the side parts 3 and 4 for connecting the strap are
simplified and the dimension thereof is minimum.
[0028] Still another embodiment of the attachment structure is
shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 for a case 40 having a curved side shape,
with the attachment structure 1 being in this case made so as to
give a barrel external shape.
[0029] As a whole, the disclosed wrist watch is characterised by
its original appearance which gives it a very light aspect, even in
the case of a chronograph watch with a robust construction. The
openwork connection device which is totally made of section bar
segments is not very costly which makes it possible to use precious
metals. In addition, this construction is very rigid and robust,
although it is light.
[0030] Other embodiments are also possible when developing the idea
of a attachment device using wire shaped section elements according
to the hereabove described figures to obtain an openwork structure.
For example, a wire wound in a coil spring and closed in a circle
as shown in FIG. 15 or in a rectangle could be the central part of
the strap connection device. The persons skilled in the art can
also imagine varied solutions for this device.
[0031] Although the examples described hereabove are all related to
wrist watches, the invention also applies to any clockwork part
including a movement positioned in a closed case, with the case
being connected to a support device separate from the case but
surrounding it such as mantle clocks, clocks, small clocks, table
watches, or watches intended to be integrated in cars and any other
road, sea or air vehicles.
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